ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. fine — all right
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. race — the arms race
  11. swing — in golf
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. shower — rain
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pit — in a race
  18. swing — music
  19. capital — money
  20. fine — high quality
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pop — music
  24. race — a contest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com